Mike_1GO

iTrader: (2)

that's very typical of dealers advertising cars better than they actually are.. and no, you aren't being too picky. I had a dealer once tell me a car was mint, no accidents.. low and behold when I actually drove down there and looked at the car/carfax, there was one minor accident reported. and then some additional paint work here and there.. which is a complete turn off. take your time and find the right one!

RA40

iTrader: (6)

This is your $, spend it on what meets your criteria. You're going to be driving this so you want to be happy.

Turbojohn

I researched that car.....its a florida car and the belt and pump were done in florida recently. I talked to the service rep at the orlando dealership that did the work......it was done

I paid 5k for a one ower 116 k mile lexus.....not perfect but lots of work already done...starter and timming belt and water pump and some pan gaskets...new brakes all the way around...so about 4k worth of work done recently. I have sanded the rims down and polished them and they look new now along with some new p zero all season tires.....the interior is perfect except for the drivers seat..I bought new OEM leather and got lucky for 250 bucks...exact match. It was a rare find.

I think your going to have work in all of them.....the main things are the history and ownership. The Lexus you almost bought was priced to high to start with. I like new tires of my own selection so I had room to work with at 5k

sayow

i am not saying the car is not decent or even good. But you nailed it, it was priced too high to start with, was far from the showroom car and other "perfections" the sleazy dealer kept saying. Typical stuff like "you will never find one this nice" and then when I dared point out the imperfections, he basically told me he could sell it for more but was doing me a favor.

I am glad I did not buy it, the imperfections and over spray aside, that nav unit alone would have haunted me!

Turbojohn

He said the same thing to me.LOL The dealers in florida get between 7 -10k for 98 -2000 models
Here is what I now know......if you pay say 9k from a dealer.........you probably are going to spend at least another 2k at a minimum after you buy it because they are flippers and half of them dont now a thing about a Lexus and could car less, and they will need something.

For me buying one with the belt done is important and I dont want their crappy tires. If you have a pretty good service history than thats a plus. I got a printout from the garage who took care of the car for several years. I ended up paying 5600 with shipping. I am putting on new tires...I reconditioned the rims myself.....steam cleaned the carpet and put some new original floor mats in the car and a new Lexus OEM leather upper and lower for the drivers side only...the rest of the interior is perfect.
So total I will have about and extra 1k in the car or about 6600 bucks....

New brakes and tires and a spotless interior.....If I would have bought the one you almost bought I am sure I would have close to 9-10k to get it right. And when they are this old the bushing in the suspension arms are going to be bad...a future project for me.

Legender

Not sure you want to drive that far... but there are 3-4 in the DFW Craigslist for between $6k and $7k... one with only 105k miles on it but the others are higher...
disclaimer... I have no relationship with any of the sellers...

sayow

Update 6.14.14

The owner of the dealer called me after receiving my - less than flattering - email detailing my experience. Suffice to say after a long talk, that the owner and I were very much on the same page. In the end the owner and I came to an agreement on price and he offered to deliver it to my doorstep on his dime. Two days later the car is FINALLY in my garage with service documentation.

Spent the better part of Saturday with it on the lift and going over every inch of the car. Mechanically it has a little power steering whine (for all of Toyota's amazing feats with the engine and transmission, their power steering pumps generally suck) that I shut up with some Lucas, but will probably need to replace in the next year. Rest of car is solid, clean underneath and suspension is tight.

Could not find a flaw inside other than the aforementioned cracks in wood and center vents. Leather definitely recovered (front and back) but is a flawless. Bumper resprayed and not masked well, but it is a minor concern at this point, the car is beautiful.

All is well that ends well right?

sayow

Update 6.16.14

Power Steering goes from growl to OUT. Looks like a fun job without a lift, might take it to my guy. Found remanned Cardone for 92 bucks after core on rockauto.

LOL maybe the car gods were trying to tell me something.

Legender

Good luck on the car... it did look pretty. Glad you're followup correspondence with the owner paid off.
Congrats and best to you in enjoying the pursuits of your labor...and your other labor also... lol
Thanks for the update and welcome to the club.